Reimagining Birth, Restoring Trust (feat. Elaine Welteroth)
The Dose
A new movement in the United States is taking shape in maternal care, one that seeks to restore trust, center women, and protect lives. On this episode of The Dose podcast, Dr. Joel Bervell talks with author and advocate Elaine Welteroth about her own struggle finding patient-centered care during pregnancy and how the organization she founded, birthFUND, is funding midwifery care, supporting new mothers, and reimagining what safe, empowering birth can look like in America.
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A Doula Network That’s Saving Lives (feat. Omare Jimmerson)
The Dose
Across Oklahoma, a community-powered doula network is reshaping what equitable maternal care looks like. On this episode of The Dose, Dr. Joel Bervell talks with Omare Jimmerson of the Oklahoma Birth Equity Initiative about how culturally rooted doulas, smart policies, and practical supports—from rides to diapers—are helping hundreds of families thrive each year.
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A New Approach to Youth Mental Health (feat. Dr. Kevin Simon)
The Dose
AI therapy for children with anxiety, mental health training for staff at nonprofits that work with young people, and an “art pharmacy” that prescribes free museum tickets to kids — these are just some of the things Dr. Kevin Simon and his team are doing to help meet the mental health care needs of Boston’s children. Simon, the city’s first chief behavioral health officer, talks to host Dr. Joel Bervell on the new episode of The Dose, which centers on America’s youth mental health crisis and the innovative things states and cities are doing for struggling children.
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Fixing How We Pay for Care (feat. Dr. Mai Pham)
The Dose
“The proportion of energy and resources that goes into getting paid instead of taking care of patients is out of whack.” That’s Dr. Mai Pham’s assessment of how we pay for health care in the United States — where all too often the imperative is volume over value, and billing over better care. In the latest episode of The Dose podcast, host Dr. Joel Bervell talks with Dr. Pham about how we can do better and deliver on the promise of equitable, person-centered care.
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Obesity Medicine in the Age of GLP-1s (feat. Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford)
The Dose
Medical care for people with obesity is changing rapidly. Body mass index, or BMI, was once considered the gold standard for diagnosis but has proven to be less accurate than once thought. Meanwhile, the advent of GLP-1 drugs has provided patients with treatment options that were unimaginable just a decade ago. Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity medicine physician, joins host Dr. Joel Bervell on a new episode of The Dose podcast to talk about the state of obesity care in the United States. Together, they explore why insurers are hesitant to cover medications like Ozempic, how BMI fails to...
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In an Era of Misinformation, Does Science Stand a Chance? (feat. Dr. Francis Collins)
The Dose
“If people stop trusting science, they stop trusting each other. That has huge implications for everything, not just medicine.” Science, and medical science in particular, is under attack in today’s world. Many of our nation’s leaders are choosing politics over facts, and prioritizing profit over public health. Online, misinformation about vaccines and medications is spreading at an alarming rate. On a new episode of The Dose, host Dr. Joel Bervell discusses some of the biggest challenges facing modern medical science with Dr. Francis Collins, who served as director of the National...
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The Dose Returns on October 10th
The Dose
Look forward to a new season of The Dose, featuring your host Dr. Joel Bervell, launching this Friday.
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In Rural America, a Weak Signal Can Mean Worse Health
The Dose
What happens when your zip code threatens your health? Broadband access is often framed as a tech issue, but in some rural communities it’s a matter of health equity. Broadband internet is so limited in some areas that patients can’t use remote monitoring devices, hospitals can’t support telehealth, and electronic health records slow down care instead of streamlining it. On this week’s episode of The Dose, journalist Sarah Jane Tribble joins host Joel Bervell to explain how internet dead zones are deepening chronic illness in rural communities. Drawing from her reporting for KFF Health...
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In the Age of AI, Health Innovation Requires Human Stories
The Dose
Data is the engine of health innovation, but too often it can’t tell the full story. On this week’s episode of The Dose, Dr. Sema Sgaier joins host Joel Bervell to talk about the future of equitable health care: how we collect data, who’s included, and what it means for clinical trials, mental health, and the role of AI. Tune in to hear Dr. Sgaier explain why solving health care’s toughest challenges starts with understanding the human side of health — and how inclusive data can lead to smarter policies, safer treatments, and better care.
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“Data Silence” Holds High Stakes for People’s Health
The Dose
We’re in a pivotal moment for health care equity and public health. Systems for tracking data on maternal mortality and chronic disease are being dismantled, with consequences that could last generations. On this week’s episode of The Dose, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith joins host Joel Bervell to talk about who’s represented in the health data we collect, and who isn’t, and why it’s so important for “people to feel safe in sharing” their data and “to have trust that it’s protected.” Dr. Nunez-Smith also explains how her experience as a parent of a child with a rare disease...
info_outlineIn Dr. Joseph Betancourt’s vision for the future of U.S. health care, “any patient who goes to any health care system around the country should get the highest quality of care, no matter who they are or where they’re from.” As the Commonwealth Fund’s new president, he’s tackling some of the biggest challenges facing the U.S. health system while trying to ensure equity is embedded in health care policy, coverage, technology, and practice.
Join Joel Bervell, host of The Dose podcast, for a wide-ranging conversation with Betancourt about AI and health care, America’s primary care crisis, and what the corporatization of health care means for doctors and patients.